Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, September 5, 2015 to Monday, September 7, 2015:
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, September 5, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Monday, September 7, 2015, 12–4 pm
Nature Exploration
Prospect Park Audubon Center, Free
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation.
**********
Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, September 6, 2015
World Shorebird Day
Leader: Mike Yuan
Focus: Tour of shorebird rich locations in Brooklyn and Jamaica Bay Refuge
Car fee: $12.00
Registrar: Dennis Hrehowsik email deepseagangster@gmail.com
Registration Period: August 25th - Sept 3rd
**********
Freshkills Park (Staten Island)
September 5, 2015, 10:00am
Freshkills Park Site Tour
Site tours are approximately an hour and a half long and tell the story of the past, present and future of Freshkills Park development via a guided bus ride through the site. Stops at the top of the park’s hills offer beautiful panoramic views of Staten Island. Space is limited, all ages welcome. Free. Meet at the St. George Ferry Terminal Information Booth (across from Au Bon Pain).
Sign Up at EventBrite
September 5, 2015, 1:00pm
Freshkills Park Site Tour
Site tours are approximately an hour and a half long and tell the story of the past, present and future of Freshkills Park development via a guided bus ride through the site. Stops at the top of the park’s hills offer beautiful panoramic views of Staten Island. Space is limited, all ages welcome. Free. Meet at the St. George Ferry Terminal Information Booth (across from Au Bon Pain).
Sign Up at EventBrite
**********
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, September 6, 2015 - 9:00 AM
Blydenburgh Park
Blydenburgh County Park, in Smithtown, occupies 627 acres of richly forested hills and valleys at the headwaters of the Nissequogue River. It is one of the least developed and most picturesque spots on Long Island. Our walk will focus on migrating songbirds.
Directions: Take the Northern Parkway east and merge onto Rte. 347/454 E (Veterans’ Memorial Highway). Make a U-turn at Ledgewood Dr. and enter the park.
Registration: 585-880-0915
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, September 5, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
**********
Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
September 5, 2015 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Great Kills Park
Hylan Boulevard and Buffalo Street
Join birder Anthony Ciancimino for a guided nature walk at Great Kills Park. Participants will first check the mudflats for migrating shorebirds, herons, and terns. We will then proceed to the nature center area and walk around the trail that leads into great habitat, particularly for species that favor open habitats. Possibilities include Ring necked Pheasant and various warbler and sparrow species. Participants will meet in the second parking lot on the left side in the park. This is the lot that stands at the foot of the short trail that leads to the mudflats. For more information email Anthony at sibirdwatcher@yahoo.com
**********
South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Massapequa Preserve
Notes:
All walks start at 9:30 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Early Morning Bird Walk: Fall Migration at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Catch a glimpse of a variety of species as they pass through the park on their way south.
Free!
Ranger's Choice: Hawk Watch at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Space is limited and registration is required. To register, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/rangers/register on Thursday, August 27th.
Free!
**********
Young Birders Club (New York State)
Sunday September 6, 2015
Bashakill Wildlife Management Area
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Sullivan County Audubon Society
Here's how Jacob Drucker described the Bashakill in his NYSYBC trip report back in 2009: "a large scrape in a valley that has accumulated with runoff water and turned into an absolutely gorgeous body of water and swamp." Jacob went on: "Standing on Haven Road, a causeway running across “the Bash,” we were surrounded by water, vegetation, and of course birds. Ducks were everywhere, and we quickly found American Wigeon, Gadwall, American Black, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green Winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Common and Hooded Merganser, and Ring-Necked, and Wood (which practically covered some of the trees) Ducks. All of these were present in substantial numbers. There were also a few instances of a Pied-Billed Grebe or two around, and of course, Red-winged Blackbirds.
Wrap up your summer by coming with us to bird this magical place!
Permission form due by 8/27/15. If you have not yet submitted a 2015 medical form (page 2 of the permission form) please submit it with your permission form.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
New York City Rare Bird Alert
Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 28, 2015:
-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 28, 2015
* NYNY1508.28
- Birds Mentioned
AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER+
WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL+
LEACH’S STORM-PETREL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Cory’s Shearwater
Peregrine Falcon
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
American Avocet
Whimbrel
MARBLED GODWIT
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
POMARINE JAEGER
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Worm-eating Warbler
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
DICKCISSEL
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44nybirdsorg
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 28, 2015
at 6:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL, AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER, POMARINE JAEGER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, PROTHONOTARY and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS, LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, and DICKCISSEL.
Of note especially to those joining the upcoming pelagic trip, a fishing boat last Friday 80 miles south of Montauk encountered 1 WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL, 1 LEACH’S STORM-PETREL and 3 AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS among the birds seen.
Interesting for a seabird seldom seen here on land was a POMARINE JAEGER spotted at Jones Beach West End Monday morning on the beach inside Jones Inlet a little passed the fisherman’s access parking lot. Also at West End, the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was not noted after Saturday, but there was a reasonable variety of shorebirds during the week as well as a few LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and BLACK TERNS.
At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was preset at the south end of the East Pond last Saturday afternoon, but the only other shorebird of real note there this week was a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE spotted yesterday morning just north of the Raunt. There have been some juvenile WESTERN SANDPIPERS recently, with pond counts up to 7, and a fly-by WHIMBREL was reported Wednesday. A single PECTORAL SANDPIPER and a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS have been among the species using the pond, but the PEREGRINE FALCONS continue to be a problem, often almost clearing the pond completely; one Peregrine’s dramatic chase of the AMERICAN AVOCET a week earlier, covering half the length of the pond, with the Avocet finally crash diving into the water, where it swam for the next half hour, may have been responsible for the Avocet’s departure. Also on the East Pond have been 2 lingering GULL-BILLED TERNS, 2 BLACK TERNS Wednesday and a CASPIAN TERN sitting in the north end gull roost last Sunday.
Staying with the shorebirds, an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER flew by Robert Moses State Park last Saturday morning, and 1 appeared on a field along Mill Lane in Mattituck Tuesday and Wednesday.
Three separate MARBLED GODWITS featured 1 in Cold Spring Harbor across from the fish hatchery Saturday to Tuesday, 1 at Sunken Meadows State Park Sunday afternoon, and 1 at Cupsogue County Park Wednesday. Also at Cupsogue, a distant CORY’S SHEARWATER and 2 BLACK TERNS on the flats Saturday were followed by 15 ROYAL TERNS there Wednesday.
Among the increasing numbers of migrating passerines, a couple of unusual ones at Robert Moses State Park were a LARK SPARROW last Saturday and presumably the same bird again Wednesday, and DICKCISSEL noted Sunday, Monday, Thursday and today around the periphery of parking field 2. Another DICKCISSEL was spotted Wednesday by the Velodrome parking lot at Kissena Park in Queens and one also visited Coney Island Creek Park in Brooklyn today. Also today a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW appeared around the edge of the main parking lot at Captree State Park.
Highlights among the Warblers have been a GOLDEN-WINGED at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn Thursday and a PROTHONOTARY out east at Trout Pond Park in Noyak last Saturday. In the city parks, especially Central and Prospect, a couple of MOURNING WARBLERS have been noted this week, joining a decent variety that has included WORM-EATING, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, CAPE MAY, HOODED and WILSON’S, though numbers of the more unusual species remain expectedly low.
Among the other landbirds reported have been OLIVE-SIDED and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, and a notable movement of EASTERN KINGBIRDS Tuesday evening at Heckscher State Park featured 223 EASTERN KINGBIRDS moving by in flocks of up to 30 birds. Also notable, a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was in Prospect Park today and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was found at Croton Point Park in Westchester Wednesday.
To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 28, 2015
* NYNY1508.28
- Birds Mentioned
AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER+
WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL+
LEACH’S STORM-PETREL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Cory’s Shearwater
Peregrine Falcon
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
American Avocet
Whimbrel
MARBLED GODWIT
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
POMARINE JAEGER
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Worm-eating Warbler
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
DICKCISSEL
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44nybirdsorg
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 28, 2015
at 6:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL, AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER, POMARINE JAEGER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, PROTHONOTARY and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS, LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, and DICKCISSEL.
Of note especially to those joining the upcoming pelagic trip, a fishing boat last Friday 80 miles south of Montauk encountered 1 WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL, 1 LEACH’S STORM-PETREL and 3 AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS among the birds seen.
Interesting for a seabird seldom seen here on land was a POMARINE JAEGER spotted at Jones Beach West End Monday morning on the beach inside Jones Inlet a little passed the fisherman’s access parking lot. Also at West End, the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was not noted after Saturday, but there was a reasonable variety of shorebirds during the week as well as a few LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and BLACK TERNS.
At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was preset at the south end of the East Pond last Saturday afternoon, but the only other shorebird of real note there this week was a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE spotted yesterday morning just north of the Raunt. There have been some juvenile WESTERN SANDPIPERS recently, with pond counts up to 7, and a fly-by WHIMBREL was reported Wednesday. A single PECTORAL SANDPIPER and a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS have been among the species using the pond, but the PEREGRINE FALCONS continue to be a problem, often almost clearing the pond completely; one Peregrine’s dramatic chase of the AMERICAN AVOCET a week earlier, covering half the length of the pond, with the Avocet finally crash diving into the water, where it swam for the next half hour, may have been responsible for the Avocet’s departure. Also on the East Pond have been 2 lingering GULL-BILLED TERNS, 2 BLACK TERNS Wednesday and a CASPIAN TERN sitting in the north end gull roost last Sunday.
Staying with the shorebirds, an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER flew by Robert Moses State Park last Saturday morning, and 1 appeared on a field along Mill Lane in Mattituck Tuesday and Wednesday.
Three separate MARBLED GODWITS featured 1 in Cold Spring Harbor across from the fish hatchery Saturday to Tuesday, 1 at Sunken Meadows State Park Sunday afternoon, and 1 at Cupsogue County Park Wednesday. Also at Cupsogue, a distant CORY’S SHEARWATER and 2 BLACK TERNS on the flats Saturday were followed by 15 ROYAL TERNS there Wednesday.
Among the increasing numbers of migrating passerines, a couple of unusual ones at Robert Moses State Park were a LARK SPARROW last Saturday and presumably the same bird again Wednesday, and DICKCISSEL noted Sunday, Monday, Thursday and today around the periphery of parking field 2. Another DICKCISSEL was spotted Wednesday by the Velodrome parking lot at Kissena Park in Queens and one also visited Coney Island Creek Park in Brooklyn today. Also today a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW appeared around the edge of the main parking lot at Captree State Park.
Highlights among the Warblers have been a GOLDEN-WINGED at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn Thursday and a PROTHONOTARY out east at Trout Pond Park in Noyak last Saturday. In the city parks, especially Central and Prospect, a couple of MOURNING WARBLERS have been noted this week, joining a decent variety that has included WORM-EATING, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, CAPE MAY, HOODED and WILSON’S, though numbers of the more unusual species remain expectedly low.
Among the other landbirds reported have been OLIVE-SIDED and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, and a notable movement of EASTERN KINGBIRDS Tuesday evening at Heckscher State Park featured 223 EASTERN KINGBIRDS moving by in flocks of up to 30 birds. Also notable, a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was in Prospect Park today and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was found at Croton Point Park in Westchester Wednesday.
To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Treehugger Tuesday
New York City Rooftop Solar Energy Potential
According to Boston-based startup Mapdwell, by using an advanced solar mapping tool developed at MIT they have identified New York City rooftops as being able to generate 4.7 gigawatts of solar energy. From their website:
Mapdwell Solar System™ New York City is the first website for all New Yorkers to discover their solar potential, explore their options and connect with local installers, making solar exciting and straight-forward.
Solar System is the most advanced online rooftop-solar tool available, providing detailed and accurate information to over 8 million New Yorkers across the five boroughs, and helping businesses and home-owners visualize their solar opportunity and take action.
The New York City project covers over 1 million buildings and identifies 4.7 gigawatts of high-yield photovoltaic potential, capable of delivering over 5 million megawatt-hours per year. This is over $18 billion in local business that could provide enough clean, renewable energy to 475,000 American homes while offsetting carbon emissions equivalent to planting over 70 million trees. Mapdwell wants to help New Yorkers work with the sun!
Solar System provides the community with an effective model for crowdsourcing the clean energy economy and creating value through distributed generation. The platform allows for users to connect with local installers by sharing their solar reports, simplifying going solar and enabling customers and professionals to speak the same language.
Mapdwell – the leader in urban solar mapping – works to support communities across the United States and abroad in promoting education, spreading knowledge, and increasing adoption of renewable energy sources.
Learn more at mapdwell.com
According to Boston-based startup Mapdwell, by using an advanced solar mapping tool developed at MIT they have identified New York City rooftops as being able to generate 4.7 gigawatts of solar energy. From their website:
Mapdwell Solar System™ New York City is the first website for all New Yorkers to discover their solar potential, explore their options and connect with local installers, making solar exciting and straight-forward.
Solar System is the most advanced online rooftop-solar tool available, providing detailed and accurate information to over 8 million New Yorkers across the five boroughs, and helping businesses and home-owners visualize their solar opportunity and take action.
The New York City project covers over 1 million buildings and identifies 4.7 gigawatts of high-yield photovoltaic potential, capable of delivering over 5 million megawatt-hours per year. This is over $18 billion in local business that could provide enough clean, renewable energy to 475,000 American homes while offsetting carbon emissions equivalent to planting over 70 million trees. Mapdwell wants to help New Yorkers work with the sun!
Solar System provides the community with an effective model for crowdsourcing the clean energy economy and creating value through distributed generation. The platform allows for users to connect with local installers by sharing their solar reports, simplifying going solar and enabling customers and professionals to speak the same language.
Mapdwell – the leader in urban solar mapping – works to support communities across the United States and abroad in promoting education, spreading knowledge, and increasing adoption of renewable energy sources.
Learn more at mapdwell.com
Monday, August 24, 2015
Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips
Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, August 29, 2015 to Tuesday, September 1, 2015:
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Prospect Park
Meet 7:00 am at Grand Army Plaza park entrance, "Stranahan "statue
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: early fall migrants, warblers, flycatchers, and songbirds
**********
Freshkills Park (Staten Island)
Sunday, August 30, 2015, 6:00am
2015 Macaulay Honors College Freshkills Park BioBlitz!
In partnership with CUNY Macaulay Honors College, nature lovers and citizen scientists will canvas 300 acres of North Park to count all of the birds, reptiles, mammals, fish and plants that call this park home. Led by experts who have conducted similar research projects at Central Park and the New York Botanical Gardens, the 24-hour event will help us begin to document the resurgence of wildlife and the biodiversity at Freshkills Park.
BioBlitzAll CUNY Macaulay Honors College sophomores will be participating in the event, but we also have slots open for ecology enthusiast members of the public. Participants must be at least 14 years of age, and if under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult (both will need to register). To participate, email cait.field@parks.nyc.gov. Check in will take place at the St. George Ferry terminal and coach bus transportation will be provided to the park (all participants must check in at St. George and travel to and from the park via the provided transportation).
**********
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, August 30, 2015, 8:00 AM
Makamah Preserve
Makamah Preserve is a 160 acre park in the village of Fort Salonga. It is made up of rolling hills and valleys, with upland forest, wooded wetland and saltmarsh habitats. We will search for migrating songbirds and waterbirds, especially warblers, flycatchers, & sandpipers.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Take Rte. 25A (Fort Salonga Rd.) east into the village of Fort Salonga and look for the sign and parking area for the park.
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 7:30am – 5:00pm
10th Annual Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay
During the past 40 years, over 40 species of shorebirds (including rare and accidental vagrants) have been recorded at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East and West Ponds from mid-July through October, with the greatest diversity and abundance usually occurring in August. We invite you to attend our tenth annual celebration at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, August 29.
Free bus transportation from Manhattan to Jamaica Bay is available for NYC Audubon members at the Student/Senior level and up. Meet at 71 West 23rd Street at 6:30am. (We will return to 23rd Street by approximately 6pm.) Contact the office at 212-691-7483 x306 to reserve a seat.
For more information, contact NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483 x 306, the American Littoral Society at 718-474-0896, or Don Riepe at donriepe@gmail.com
http://www.nycaudubon.org/annual-shorebird-festival-jamaica-bay
Schedule TBD
**********
Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, August 30, 2015 – Monday, August 31, 2015
CRESLI Whale and Bird watching trip at Montauk point Viking Fleet
Where: Montauk point Viking Fleet map
**********
South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Jones Beach West End #2
Notes:
All walks start at 9:30 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Prospect Park
Meet 7:00 am at Grand Army Plaza park entrance, "Stranahan "statue
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: early fall migrants, warblers, flycatchers, and songbirds
**********
Freshkills Park (Staten Island)
Sunday, August 30, 2015, 6:00am
2015 Macaulay Honors College Freshkills Park BioBlitz!
In partnership with CUNY Macaulay Honors College, nature lovers and citizen scientists will canvas 300 acres of North Park to count all of the birds, reptiles, mammals, fish and plants that call this park home. Led by experts who have conducted similar research projects at Central Park and the New York Botanical Gardens, the 24-hour event will help us begin to document the resurgence of wildlife and the biodiversity at Freshkills Park.
BioBlitzAll CUNY Macaulay Honors College sophomores will be participating in the event, but we also have slots open for ecology enthusiast members of the public. Participants must be at least 14 years of age, and if under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult (both will need to register). To participate, email cait.field@parks.nyc.gov. Check in will take place at the St. George Ferry terminal and coach bus transportation will be provided to the park (all participants must check in at St. George and travel to and from the park via the provided transportation).
**********
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, August 30, 2015, 8:00 AM
Makamah Preserve
Makamah Preserve is a 160 acre park in the village of Fort Salonga. It is made up of rolling hills and valleys, with upland forest, wooded wetland and saltmarsh habitats. We will search for migrating songbirds and waterbirds, especially warblers, flycatchers, & sandpipers.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Take Rte. 25A (Fort Salonga Rd.) east into the village of Fort Salonga and look for the sign and parking area for the park.
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 29, 2015, 7:30am – 5:00pm
10th Annual Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay
During the past 40 years, over 40 species of shorebirds (including rare and accidental vagrants) have been recorded at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East and West Ponds from mid-July through October, with the greatest diversity and abundance usually occurring in August. We invite you to attend our tenth annual celebration at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, August 29.
Free bus transportation from Manhattan to Jamaica Bay is available for NYC Audubon members at the Student/Senior level and up. Meet at 71 West 23rd Street at 6:30am. (We will return to 23rd Street by approximately 6pm.) Contact the office at 212-691-7483 x306 to reserve a seat.
For more information, contact NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483 x 306, the American Littoral Society at 718-474-0896, or Don Riepe at donriepe@gmail.com
http://www.nycaudubon.org/annual-shorebird-festival-jamaica-bay
Schedule TBD
**********
Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, August 30, 2015 – Monday, August 31, 2015
CRESLI Whale and Bird watching trip at Montauk point Viking Fleet
Where: Montauk point Viking Fleet map
**********
South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Jones Beach West End #2
Notes:
All walks start at 9:30 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
Friday, August 21, 2015
New York City Rare Bird Alert
Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending August 21, 2015:
- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 21, 2015
* NYNY1508.21
- Birds mentioned
FEA'S PETREL+
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL+
BRIDLED TERN+
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Cory's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
- Transcript
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 21st 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are far offshore FEA'S PETREL, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, BRIDLED TERN and onshore SANDWICH TERN, AMERICAN AVOCET, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.
A fishing boat venturing out Tuesday to about 76 nautical miles south southeast of Shinnecock had the good fortune of encountering a FEA'S PETREL which circled the boat close enough for some very nice photographs to be taken. Also noted well offshore were CORY'S SHEARWATER, 4 LEACH'S and 30 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a BRIDLED TERN. Back onshore a SANDWICH TERN was spotted at Shinnecock Thursday morning during the rising tide, the bird seen from Road K sitting on flats on the western side of the island that is west of the Ponquogue Bridge. A WHIMBREL was also at Tiana Beach with 5 BLACK TERNS in Shinnecock Inlet.
At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the AMERICAN AVOCET found on the East Pond back on the 12th was still present around the north end today. Other shorebirds utilizing the pond especially during the higher tide cycle have included a small number of STILT, PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED and more recently WESTERN SANDPIPERS. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER and RED KNOT have also been noted this week. Single adult and immature GULL-BILLED TERNS continue to feed over the pond daily and 3 BLACK TERNS were there today.
A surprising Kinkajou spotted at the bay a few times since last Thursday presumably released there was captured in Broad Channel Wednesday and hopefully will now be properly cared for.
A BAIRD'S SANDPIPER found Monday in the mostly dried pools between field 2 and the Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach West End was still frequenting that site today among the nice concentration of shorebirds. Also at the West End today a dozen or more BLACK TERNS were present in Jones Inlet with 4 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on the beach, 4 more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Robert Moses State Park today and 4 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were spotted offshore there.
A WHIMBREL was among 16 species of shorebirds at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Sunday with a BLACK and 4 ROYAL TERNS also there. Among the birds at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton Monday afternoon were 4 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.
Recent ROYAL TERNS include 2 at Riis Park Saturday and 2 at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn to Wednesday.
At least one of the breeding YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS was still at Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale on Sunday. Other warblers in the city parks this week featured a MOURNING WARBLER midweek in Central Park along with 20 or so other species mostly still in very low numbers and featuring such less common species as WORM-EATING, HOODED and WILSON'S. A decent variety of flycatchers was also reported in Central including OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and various empidonax which in the Fall can pose some identification issues. Prospect Park tipped in with a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO on Monday.
To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 21, 2015
* NYNY1508.21
- Birds mentioned
FEA'S PETREL+
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL+
BRIDLED TERN+
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Cory's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
- Transcript
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 21st 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are far offshore FEA'S PETREL, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, BRIDLED TERN and onshore SANDWICH TERN, AMERICAN AVOCET, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.
A fishing boat venturing out Tuesday to about 76 nautical miles south southeast of Shinnecock had the good fortune of encountering a FEA'S PETREL which circled the boat close enough for some very nice photographs to be taken. Also noted well offshore were CORY'S SHEARWATER, 4 LEACH'S and 30 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a BRIDLED TERN. Back onshore a SANDWICH TERN was spotted at Shinnecock Thursday morning during the rising tide, the bird seen from Road K sitting on flats on the western side of the island that is west of the Ponquogue Bridge. A WHIMBREL was also at Tiana Beach with 5 BLACK TERNS in Shinnecock Inlet.
At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the AMERICAN AVOCET found on the East Pond back on the 12th was still present around the north end today. Other shorebirds utilizing the pond especially during the higher tide cycle have included a small number of STILT, PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED and more recently WESTERN SANDPIPERS. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER and RED KNOT have also been noted this week. Single adult and immature GULL-BILLED TERNS continue to feed over the pond daily and 3 BLACK TERNS were there today.
A surprising Kinkajou spotted at the bay a few times since last Thursday presumably released there was captured in Broad Channel Wednesday and hopefully will now be properly cared for.
A BAIRD'S SANDPIPER found Monday in the mostly dried pools between field 2 and the Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach West End was still frequenting that site today among the nice concentration of shorebirds. Also at the West End today a dozen or more BLACK TERNS were present in Jones Inlet with 4 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on the beach, 4 more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Robert Moses State Park today and 4 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were spotted offshore there.
A WHIMBREL was among 16 species of shorebirds at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Sunday with a BLACK and 4 ROYAL TERNS also there. Among the birds at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton Monday afternoon were 4 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.
Recent ROYAL TERNS include 2 at Riis Park Saturday and 2 at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn to Wednesday.
At least one of the breeding YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS was still at Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale on Sunday. Other warblers in the city parks this week featured a MOURNING WARBLER midweek in Central Park along with 20 or so other species mostly still in very low numbers and featuring such less common species as WORM-EATING, HOODED and WILSON'S. A decent variety of flycatchers was also reported in Central including OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and various empidonax which in the Fall can pose some identification issues. Prospect Park tipped in with a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO on Monday.
To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
Friday's Foto
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Treehugger Tuesday
New York City Still Using Banned Pesticides
The following article was just published in "CityLimits":
City Still Using Pesticides Despite 2005 Law Banning Them
By Elah Feder | August 10, 2015
Anvil 10+10, the insecticide used in the annual West Nile Virus spraying, contains piperonyl butoxide, is listed as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA. But West Nile carries its own risk. The city must balance the two.
Despite a local law that bans New York City from using pesticides linked to cancer, city agencies apply thousands of pounds of these substances each year.
When Local Law 37 passed in 2005, environmental groups like Beyond Pesticides praised the city for being at the forefront of national efforts to curb pesticides.
And in its annual pesticide reports, the city suggests the legislation has been successful, declaring that as of May 2006, "use of all pesticides classified by the EPA as possible, probable or known human carcinogens ended."
In November that year, the report continues, the city eliminated pesticides classified as developmental toxins by the State of California – also prohibited under Local Law 37. Finally, EPA Toxicity Category 1 pesticides were prohibited as of November 2005.
But the same reports show that eight years later, a swath of exemptions carved out in the law have freed city agencies and their contractors to continue applying thousands of pounds of these substances each year.
In 2013, the latest year for which data has been released, the city applied 25,000 pounds of solid pesticides that constituted Local Law 37 exemptions, accounting for almost a quarter of the total 111,000 pounds of solid pesticides reported in the latest report. In addition, 1,900 gallons of exempted liquid pesticides were applied, representing over a quarter of total liquids used. Reports dating back to 2007 reveal similar patterns. Despite a trend of decreasing pesticide use by city agencies since reporting began, these prohibited classes do not appear to be declining.
Golf courses a frequent target
Prohibited substances do not include Roundup, the subject of recent intensified scrutiny when earlier this year, the World Health Organization declared Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, to be "probably" carcinogenic to humans. However, the EPA has not designated glyphosate to be carcinogenic nor highly toxic, so its use does not currently require an exemption under Local Law 37. In 2013, the city applied 830 gallons of glyphosate-based products, the majority by the Department of Parks and Recreation
Exempted pesticides do include, however, products containing chlorothalonil, a fungicide listed as a "likely" human carcinogen by the EPA. Chlorothalonil has been found to increase the rate of adenomas and carcinomas in rats and mice.
In 2013, the latest year for which data has been released, the Parks Department reported using 6,150 pounds of chlorothalonil-based pesticides, in line with amounts reported in previous years.
The annual reports do not specify the purpose and location of each application, and the Parks Department did not respond to a request for comment. However, the most common target for fungicides were golf courses, according to the 2013 report.
Indeed, the bulk of the chlorothalonil-containing applications were of Andersons Turf Fungicide with 5.0% Daconil (a brand name for chlorothalonil), which is recommended for use on golf courses, athletic fields, cemeteries and parks. The manufacturer warns consumers, however, not to use the product on home lawns, or turf next to daycares or schools.
Despite being deemed a likely carcinogen, chlorothalonil can be applied on golf courses because under Local Law 37 courses are granted a blanket exemption.
That’s not unusual, says Laura Haight, a former a senior environmental associate at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) who helped advance Local Law 37. She notes that golf courses are routinely exempt from pesticide laws. "They’re incredibly toxic," she adds.
Also exempt under the law are professional athletic fields, and swimming pools where pesticides are used to "maintain water quality."
As is often the case with pesticides, although nearly 4,000 pounds of Anderson’s Turf Fungicide were applied, the product’s active ingredient chlorothalonil accounts for only a small proportion—5 percent—of the formulation:. The rest consists of undisclosed "other" ingredients, also known as "inert" ingredients.
Despite being referred to as "inert," a term the EPA has acknowledged is misleading to consumers, these ingredients can themselves be toxic or possibly carcinogenic, and can enhance the toxicity of the active ingredient. Manufacturers are only legally required to reveal the active ingredients, however.
Health Dept. can grant exemptions
Where a blanket exemption has not been issued, an agency can be cleared to use a pesticide by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
For example, Anvil 10+10, the insecticide used in the annual West Nile Virus spraying, contains piperonyl butoxide, which is listed as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA. Every year since the law came into effect, the Health Department has granted its Office of Vector Surveillance and Control a waiver for "temporary relief from the prohibition on the use of pesticides that may otherwise be prohibited from use on New York City property."
In an August 8th press release, the No Spray Coalition criticized the Health Department for granting waivers to itself. "No other agency reviews its application. The checks and balances envisioned in Local Law 37 are thus thwarted," they wrote.
Other pesticides are exempted under city-wide waivers each year. For example, insecticide gels containing fipronil and hydramethylnon both classified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA, are under regular use by NYCHA, which laid down 150 pounds of fipronil-based products across 3,400 applications and 110 pounds of hydramethylnon products across 95 applications.
In the annual waiver letter, Daniel Kass, the Health Department’s deputy commissioner of environmental health, notes that these products are of minimal risk to human health because they can be "used in a targeted manner that limits the likelihood of human exposure." Likewise, Haight notes that these products are typically enclosed within bait containers.
Fears can be overblown
Possible carcinogens, or even likely carcinogens, might not be cause for concern where exposure is minimal. Anvil, for example, is applied at 0.0034 pounds per acre, Levi Fishman, deputy press secretary at the Health Department, explained in an email earlier this year.
"When properly used, this product poses no significant risks to human health. It degrades rapidly in sunlight, provides little or no residual activity, and does not accumulate in the environment," he wrote. Nonetheless, the city advises residents to bring children’s toys, outdoor equipment, and clothing indoors before spraying takes place, and to wash anything that has come in contact with Anvil.
Activists like Cathryn Swan of the No Spray coalition aren’t convinced that Anvil degrades as readily as the city assures. The pesticide can, for instance, linger longer in the soil or in areas shaded from sunlight. In soil, the half-life of sumithrin is 1-2 days, meaning it would degrade almost entirely in 5-10 days, but potentially linger much longer in bodies of water, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. No Spray has also expressed concern about potential ecological impacts on bees and aquatic organisms. Local Law 37, however, focuses exclusively on human health impacts..
Even where rates of exposure are greater than anticipated, a possible human carcinogen is not necessarily carcinogenic. The "possible" designation is applied when there is some limited evidence of carcinogenicity. For piperonyl butoxide, lab results have been mixed, with some studies finding cancer-causing at very high doses and others not finding an effect.
However, a pesticide’s risk classification can be a matter of dispute.
Dr. Brian Dementi, formerly a senior toxicologist at the E.P.A., was the lead scientist in charge of evaluating the safety of malathion, the pesticide New York City used before switching to Anvil.
In an independent scientific advisory panel in 2000, Dementi testified that malathion should be classified as a "likely" carcinogen. But in the end, the agency rejected his conclusion, arguing that the insecticide was safe if properly used, and decided to designate malathion as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity"– a lower risk classification.
When the West Nile outbreak first hit New York, and the Health Department was spraying malathion by helicopter, Dementi was conflicted, but ultimately believes the justification for using any given pesticide comes down to a risk-benefit calculation.
"It did indeed bother me," he says. "But on the other hand, it was preventing encephalitis. One always has to consider the risk assessment… Is there greater risk of not doing it? You’ve always got to discern. It’s a hard thing balancing risk versus benefit."
Though fewer than 1 percent of those infected develop severe symptoms, West Nile can cause neurological damage and death, according to the Center for Disease Control. Since 1999, there have been 317 cases of symptomatic West Nile infection reported in New York City, 38 of them fatal, according to the Health Department, a rate of under one case per 100,000 people.
Advocate: Notification is key
Despite the Local Law 37 exemptions, Haight, who worked closely with the Health Department on curbing pesticide use during her years at NYPIRG, says she is proud of the law.
"There’s no such thing as a perfect law. All laws are developed with compromises," she says, adding that she believes the Health Department has acted in good faith to reduce pesticide use and minimize risks. "We worked with a lot of places that passed laws, but no one’s been as vested."
"The law should be stronger," says Joel Kupferman, executive director and senior attorney at the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project. Its major weakness, he argues, is that exemptions are granted at the city level. Instead, requests for exemptions should be evaluated at the state or federal level, instead of by the city, Kupferman says. In addition, he believes that agencies offer inadequate, or insufficiently transparent, reporting on adverse effects.
Though New York City and activists might not see eye-to-eye on pesticide risks and classifications, Swan is asking the city to at least better inform residents.
"We’re basically saying you if you are going to do it, at least be giving people proper notification," she says.
In April, Swan attended meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 7, where a Health Department representative had been invited to talk about the upcoming West Nile Virus spraying. A resident who had signed up for Notify NYC email alerts complained that she sometimes received notice after the spraying had happened. Jeremy Laufer, the district manager, added that 24 hours notice was not enough, and said that the administration relied too much on email, rather than physical notices—a problem for a community where many households don’t have internet access.
Others in attendance wanted to know how dangerous these substances are, whether they were carcinogenic and whether they build up in the environment. The representative, who had only been on the job for three weeks at that point, wasn’t sure of the answers.
The Health Department has not responded to a request for comment about Local Law 37.
The following article was just published in "CityLimits":
City Still Using Pesticides Despite 2005 Law Banning Them
By Elah Feder | August 10, 2015
Anvil 10+10, the insecticide used in the annual West Nile Virus spraying, contains piperonyl butoxide, is listed as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA. But West Nile carries its own risk. The city must balance the two.
Despite a local law that bans New York City from using pesticides linked to cancer, city agencies apply thousands of pounds of these substances each year.
When Local Law 37 passed in 2005, environmental groups like Beyond Pesticides praised the city for being at the forefront of national efforts to curb pesticides.
And in its annual pesticide reports, the city suggests the legislation has been successful, declaring that as of May 2006, "use of all pesticides classified by the EPA as possible, probable or known human carcinogens ended."
In November that year, the report continues, the city eliminated pesticides classified as developmental toxins by the State of California – also prohibited under Local Law 37. Finally, EPA Toxicity Category 1 pesticides were prohibited as of November 2005.
But the same reports show that eight years later, a swath of exemptions carved out in the law have freed city agencies and their contractors to continue applying thousands of pounds of these substances each year.
In 2013, the latest year for which data has been released, the city applied 25,000 pounds of solid pesticides that constituted Local Law 37 exemptions, accounting for almost a quarter of the total 111,000 pounds of solid pesticides reported in the latest report. In addition, 1,900 gallons of exempted liquid pesticides were applied, representing over a quarter of total liquids used. Reports dating back to 2007 reveal similar patterns. Despite a trend of decreasing pesticide use by city agencies since reporting began, these prohibited classes do not appear to be declining.
Golf courses a frequent target
Prohibited substances do not include Roundup, the subject of recent intensified scrutiny when earlier this year, the World Health Organization declared Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, to be "probably" carcinogenic to humans. However, the EPA has not designated glyphosate to be carcinogenic nor highly toxic, so its use does not currently require an exemption under Local Law 37. In 2013, the city applied 830 gallons of glyphosate-based products, the majority by the Department of Parks and Recreation
Exempted pesticides do include, however, products containing chlorothalonil, a fungicide listed as a "likely" human carcinogen by the EPA. Chlorothalonil has been found to increase the rate of adenomas and carcinomas in rats and mice.
In 2013, the latest year for which data has been released, the Parks Department reported using 6,150 pounds of chlorothalonil-based pesticides, in line with amounts reported in previous years.
The annual reports do not specify the purpose and location of each application, and the Parks Department did not respond to a request for comment. However, the most common target for fungicides were golf courses, according to the 2013 report.
Indeed, the bulk of the chlorothalonil-containing applications were of Andersons Turf Fungicide with 5.0% Daconil (a brand name for chlorothalonil), which is recommended for use on golf courses, athletic fields, cemeteries and parks. The manufacturer warns consumers, however, not to use the product on home lawns, or turf next to daycares or schools.
Despite being deemed a likely carcinogen, chlorothalonil can be applied on golf courses because under Local Law 37 courses are granted a blanket exemption.
That’s not unusual, says Laura Haight, a former a senior environmental associate at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) who helped advance Local Law 37. She notes that golf courses are routinely exempt from pesticide laws. "They’re incredibly toxic," she adds.
Also exempt under the law are professional athletic fields, and swimming pools where pesticides are used to "maintain water quality."
As is often the case with pesticides, although nearly 4,000 pounds of Anderson’s Turf Fungicide were applied, the product’s active ingredient chlorothalonil accounts for only a small proportion—5 percent—of the formulation:. The rest consists of undisclosed "other" ingredients, also known as "inert" ingredients.
Despite being referred to as "inert," a term the EPA has acknowledged is misleading to consumers, these ingredients can themselves be toxic or possibly carcinogenic, and can enhance the toxicity of the active ingredient. Manufacturers are only legally required to reveal the active ingredients, however.
Health Dept. can grant exemptions
Where a blanket exemption has not been issued, an agency can be cleared to use a pesticide by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
For example, Anvil 10+10, the insecticide used in the annual West Nile Virus spraying, contains piperonyl butoxide, which is listed as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA. Every year since the law came into effect, the Health Department has granted its Office of Vector Surveillance and Control a waiver for "temporary relief from the prohibition on the use of pesticides that may otherwise be prohibited from use on New York City property."
In an August 8th press release, the No Spray Coalition criticized the Health Department for granting waivers to itself. "No other agency reviews its application. The checks and balances envisioned in Local Law 37 are thus thwarted," they wrote.
Other pesticides are exempted under city-wide waivers each year. For example, insecticide gels containing fipronil and hydramethylnon both classified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA, are under regular use by NYCHA, which laid down 150 pounds of fipronil-based products across 3,400 applications and 110 pounds of hydramethylnon products across 95 applications.
In the annual waiver letter, Daniel Kass, the Health Department’s deputy commissioner of environmental health, notes that these products are of minimal risk to human health because they can be "used in a targeted manner that limits the likelihood of human exposure." Likewise, Haight notes that these products are typically enclosed within bait containers.
Fears can be overblown
Possible carcinogens, or even likely carcinogens, might not be cause for concern where exposure is minimal. Anvil, for example, is applied at 0.0034 pounds per acre, Levi Fishman, deputy press secretary at the Health Department, explained in an email earlier this year.
"When properly used, this product poses no significant risks to human health. It degrades rapidly in sunlight, provides little or no residual activity, and does not accumulate in the environment," he wrote. Nonetheless, the city advises residents to bring children’s toys, outdoor equipment, and clothing indoors before spraying takes place, and to wash anything that has come in contact with Anvil.
Activists like Cathryn Swan of the No Spray coalition aren’t convinced that Anvil degrades as readily as the city assures. The pesticide can, for instance, linger longer in the soil or in areas shaded from sunlight. In soil, the half-life of sumithrin is 1-2 days, meaning it would degrade almost entirely in 5-10 days, but potentially linger much longer in bodies of water, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. No Spray has also expressed concern about potential ecological impacts on bees and aquatic organisms. Local Law 37, however, focuses exclusively on human health impacts..
Even where rates of exposure are greater than anticipated, a possible human carcinogen is not necessarily carcinogenic. The "possible" designation is applied when there is some limited evidence of carcinogenicity. For piperonyl butoxide, lab results have been mixed, with some studies finding cancer-causing at very high doses and others not finding an effect.
However, a pesticide’s risk classification can be a matter of dispute.
Dr. Brian Dementi, formerly a senior toxicologist at the E.P.A., was the lead scientist in charge of evaluating the safety of malathion, the pesticide New York City used before switching to Anvil.
In an independent scientific advisory panel in 2000, Dementi testified that malathion should be classified as a "likely" carcinogen. But in the end, the agency rejected his conclusion, arguing that the insecticide was safe if properly used, and decided to designate malathion as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity"– a lower risk classification.
When the West Nile outbreak first hit New York, and the Health Department was spraying malathion by helicopter, Dementi was conflicted, but ultimately believes the justification for using any given pesticide comes down to a risk-benefit calculation.
"It did indeed bother me," he says. "But on the other hand, it was preventing encephalitis. One always has to consider the risk assessment… Is there greater risk of not doing it? You’ve always got to discern. It’s a hard thing balancing risk versus benefit."
Though fewer than 1 percent of those infected develop severe symptoms, West Nile can cause neurological damage and death, according to the Center for Disease Control. Since 1999, there have been 317 cases of symptomatic West Nile infection reported in New York City, 38 of them fatal, according to the Health Department, a rate of under one case per 100,000 people.
Advocate: Notification is key
Despite the Local Law 37 exemptions, Haight, who worked closely with the Health Department on curbing pesticide use during her years at NYPIRG, says she is proud of the law.
"There’s no such thing as a perfect law. All laws are developed with compromises," she says, adding that she believes the Health Department has acted in good faith to reduce pesticide use and minimize risks. "We worked with a lot of places that passed laws, but no one’s been as vested."
"The law should be stronger," says Joel Kupferman, executive director and senior attorney at the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project. Its major weakness, he argues, is that exemptions are granted at the city level. Instead, requests for exemptions should be evaluated at the state or federal level, instead of by the city, Kupferman says. In addition, he believes that agencies offer inadequate, or insufficiently transparent, reporting on adverse effects.
Though New York City and activists might not see eye-to-eye on pesticide risks and classifications, Swan is asking the city to at least better inform residents.
"We’re basically saying you if you are going to do it, at least be giving people proper notification," she says.
In April, Swan attended meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 7, where a Health Department representative had been invited to talk about the upcoming West Nile Virus spraying. A resident who had signed up for Notify NYC email alerts complained that she sometimes received notice after the spraying had happened. Jeremy Laufer, the district manager, added that 24 hours notice was not enough, and said that the administration relied too much on email, rather than physical notices—a problem for a community where many households don’t have internet access.
Others in attendance wanted to know how dangerous these substances are, whether they were carcinogenic and whether they build up in the environment. The representative, who had only been on the job for three weeks at that point, wasn’t sure of the answers.
The Health Department has not responded to a request for comment about Local Law 37.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Warblers in Prospect Park
Despite oppressive heat and humidity this morning, there was a pretty good showing of migrant songbirds in Prospect Park.
I figured the best way to try and beat the heat was to stick to the park's wooded areas. In the couple of hours that I strolled the Ravine, Lookout Hill and the Peninsula I managed to tally 12 species of warbler. The most memorable was a Worm-eating Warbler. I had just sat down on the top step of the stone stairway adjacent to the Nethermead Arches. I heard something moving low in the shrubs behind my head and turned to see the worm-eating working some dead leaves only about three feet from my face. I watched for what seemed like minutes this tiny, elegant, understated wood-warbler as it probed for insects within clumps of curled, withered leaves.
**********
Location: Prospect Park
Date: August 17, 2015
Species: 51
Wood Duck (1.)
Great Blue Heron (1.)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (2.)
Red-tailed Hawk (1.)
Spotted Sandpiper (1.)
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker (1.)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (2.)
Willow Flycatcher (1.)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow
House Wren (1.)
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird (4.)
Worm-eating Warbler (2.)
Louisiana Waterthrush (1.)
Northern Waterthrush (5.)
Blue-winged Warbler (1.)
Black-and-white Warbler (10.)
Common Yellowthroat (1.)
Hooded Warbler (1, male. Ravine along ridge opposite Ambergil.)
American Redstart (12.)
Yellow Warbler (6.)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1.)
Canada Warbler (6.)
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole (2.)
American Goldfinch
Other common species seen (or heard):
Canada Goose, American Black Duck, Mallard, Laughing Gull, Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker (1.), Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
I figured the best way to try and beat the heat was to stick to the park's wooded areas. In the couple of hours that I strolled the Ravine, Lookout Hill and the Peninsula I managed to tally 12 species of warbler. The most memorable was a Worm-eating Warbler. I had just sat down on the top step of the stone stairway adjacent to the Nethermead Arches. I heard something moving low in the shrubs behind my head and turned to see the worm-eating working some dead leaves only about three feet from my face. I watched for what seemed like minutes this tiny, elegant, understated wood-warbler as it probed for insects within clumps of curled, withered leaves.
**********
Location: Prospect Park
Date: August 17, 2015
Species: 51
Wood Duck (1.)
Great Blue Heron (1.)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (2.)
Red-tailed Hawk (1.)
Spotted Sandpiper (1.)
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker (1.)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (2.)
Willow Flycatcher (1.)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow
House Wren (1.)
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird (4.)
Worm-eating Warbler (2.)
Louisiana Waterthrush (1.)
Northern Waterthrush (5.)
Blue-winged Warbler (1.)
Black-and-white Warbler (10.)
Common Yellowthroat (1.)
Hooded Warbler (1, male. Ravine along ridge opposite Ambergil.)
American Redstart (12.)
Yellow Warbler (6.)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1.)
Canada Warbler (6.)
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole (2.)
American Goldfinch
Other common species seen (or heard):
Canada Goose, American Black Duck, Mallard, Laughing Gull, Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker (1.), Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
An Old Shorebird in Brooklyn
Last year I posted a piece about a Red Knot that has become known as "Moonbird". This long-distance migrant was banded over 21 years ago and has traveled the equivalent distant of the Earth to the Moon and halfway back. Now it appears that Brooklyn has had a visit from a close runner up.
At this time of year many of us local Brooklyn birders spend our early mornings looking for shorebirds at Plum(b) Beach. So far it has been an unremarkable season with mostly the expected species seen. Sanderlings are one of the common species seen along the coast during migration with a small percentage of them remaining through the winter along the ocean beaches. On August 9th my friend Heydi took a photograph of one that was sporting several blue bands. She entered the information on the website "www.bandedbirds.org", which maintains a database of banded shorebirds. The response from their database administrator was very surprising:
**********
From: "Banded Birds"
Date: August 16, 2015 at 5:43:25 PM EDT
Subject: RE: Recent report to bandedbirds.org
Hi Heydi,
Thanks so much for continuing to report to bandedbirds.org. The sanderling you reported is an “oldie!” Prior to the use of coded flags, many shorebirds were banded as cohorts, i.e. many birds banded in like manner to denote time and/or place. The combo you saw was used in 1998 during spring stopover along the Delaware Bay on the NJ side. Also, the upper right looks white in the photo, but that is the metal USGS band.
Cheers,
Jeannine
Jeannine M Parvin
Database Administrator
www.bandedbirds.org
**********
That would make this bird at least 17 years old! Sanderlings breed in the high arctic with most wintering in South America. They travel, on average, anywhere from 1,900 miles to 6,200 miles from their wintering sites to their breeding grounds. Based on those numbers, Mr. Plumb Beach Sanderling has flown anywhere from 64,600 to 210,800 miles since he was banded! Pretty impressive for an animal that only weighs, on average, 60 grams (about 24 pennies). At the far end of that scale, however, our tireless Brooklyn visitor would still need to make the annual journeys a few more times to arrive at the Moon. He made it this far, so I'm rooting for him.
At this time of year many of us local Brooklyn birders spend our early mornings looking for shorebirds at Plum(b) Beach. So far it has been an unremarkable season with mostly the expected species seen. Sanderlings are one of the common species seen along the coast during migration with a small percentage of them remaining through the winter along the ocean beaches. On August 9th my friend Heydi took a photograph of one that was sporting several blue bands. She entered the information on the website "www.bandedbirds.org", which maintains a database of banded shorebirds. The response from their database administrator was very surprising:**********
From: "Banded Birds"
Date: August 16, 2015 at 5:43:25 PM EDT
Subject: RE: Recent report to bandedbirds.org
Hi Heydi,
Thanks so much for continuing to report to bandedbirds.org. The sanderling you reported is an “oldie!” Prior to the use of coded flags, many shorebirds were banded as cohorts, i.e. many birds banded in like manner to denote time and/or place. The combo you saw was used in 1998 during spring stopover along the Delaware Bay on the NJ side. Also, the upper right looks white in the photo, but that is the metal USGS band.
Cheers,
Jeannine
Jeannine M Parvin
Database Administrator
www.bandedbirds.org
**********
That would make this bird at least 17 years old! Sanderlings breed in the high arctic with most wintering in South America. They travel, on average, anywhere from 1,900 miles to 6,200 miles from their wintering sites to their breeding grounds. Based on those numbers, Mr. Plumb Beach Sanderling has flown anywhere from 64,600 to 210,800 miles since he was banded! Pretty impressive for an animal that only weighs, on average, 60 grams (about 24 pennies). At the far end of that scale, however, our tireless Brooklyn visitor would still need to make the annual journeys a few more times to arrive at the Moon. He made it this far, so I'm rooting for him.Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips
Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, August 22, 2015 to Sunday, August 23, 2015:
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Birds and Bugs on Ninham Mountain, Putnam County
Leader: Paul Keim
Registrar: Pearl Broder – pbroder3@nyc.rr.com or 212-924-0030
Registration opens: Monday, August 10
Ride: $35
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 8:00am – 10:30am
Prospect Park Bird Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet under the arch in Grand Army Plaza. Join Gabriel Willow for a leisurely walk to get to know the summer bird residents of 'Brooklyn's Back Yard', beautiful Prospect Park. Although birding in the summertime in NYC can be a bit slow, Prospect Park has a wide variety of habitats that attracts a number of breeding bird species. We will explore the park's meadows, forests, and waterways in search of nesting waterfowl, green herons, barn swallows, yellow warblers, Baltimore orioles, and some of the other species that call the park home. Limited to 15. $33 (23)
Click here to register
**********
South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Hempstead Lake State Park
Notes:
All walks start at 9:30 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Natural Areas Exploration Day at Randalls Island Natural Areas (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Come explore Randall’s Island’s wetlands and other natural areas- all ages are welcome at this free event!
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Birds and Bugs on Ninham Mountain, Putnam County
Leader: Paul Keim
Registrar: Pearl Broder – pbroder3@nyc.rr.com or 212-924-0030
Registration opens: Monday, August 10
Ride: $35
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 22, 2015, 8:00am – 10:30am
Prospect Park Bird Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet under the arch in Grand Army Plaza. Join Gabriel Willow for a leisurely walk to get to know the summer bird residents of 'Brooklyn's Back Yard', beautiful Prospect Park. Although birding in the summertime in NYC can be a bit slow, Prospect Park has a wide variety of habitats that attracts a number of breeding bird species. We will explore the park's meadows, forests, and waterways in search of nesting waterfowl, green herons, barn swallows, yellow warblers, Baltimore orioles, and some of the other species that call the park home. Limited to 15. $33 (23)
Click here to register
**********
South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Hempstead Lake State Park
Notes:
All walks start at 9:30 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Natural Areas Exploration Day at Randalls Island Natural Areas (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Come explore Randall’s Island’s wetlands and other natural areas- all ages are welcome at this free event!
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
New York City Rare Bird Alert
Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 14, 2015:
- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 14, 2015
* NYNY1508.14
- Birds mentioned
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Little Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Piping Plover
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
MARBLED GODWIT
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Swainson's Thrush
Blue-winged Warbler
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
BLUE GROSBEAK
Bobolink
- Transcript
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 14th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are shorebirds including AMERICAN AVOCET, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and landbirds including YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER and BLUE GROSBEAK.
Hurray! The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge has now reached a point where it is attracting both decent numbers of birds and a few rarities.
A winter plumaged male AMERICAN AVOCET was found Wednesday around mid-pond and it was still present today along the western shore of the north end a little below Dead Man's Cove. Other unusual birds joining it today were a MARBLED GODWIT this morning that after awhile flew east and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE around midday in the northwest corner that was later seen just below the Raunt. A shorebird species total of 17 also featured 2 STILT, 6 PECTORAL and some WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Also today were 2 continuing GULL-BILLED TERNS and an immature BALD EAGLE plus an harassing PEREGRINE FALCON or two. Back on Wednesday a PIPING PLOVER was an interesting visitor to the pond and reports from last Saturday featured a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE seen with peeps circling but not sitting down at the south end early on and a WHIMBREL flying over the north end late in the day. Arriving ducks on the pond include BLUE-WINGED TEAL and GREEN-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN SHOVELER, a few immature LITTLE BLUE HERONS are among the gathered herons and a BLACK TERN visited Wednesday.
Remember, the East Pond is at its best during the high tide period and it's still quite sloppy for walking on.
Plumb Beach in Brooklyn has also been producing some nice birds. A second BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, this an unusually early juvenile, appeared there last Sunday. This was followed by an adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER seen in the marsh on Tuesday and then a MARBLED GODWIT visiting there this afternoon. A couple of ROYAL TERNS were also there mid-week.
Highlights at Fort Tilden Tuesday were 7 WHIMBREL flying by and 2 BLACK TERNS in the gull, tern and skimmer assemblage.
A notable increase among the landbirds species in the parks began last Saturday with a good one when a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was spotted in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the bird also noted on Sunday around the Peninsula. Like Prospect Manhattan's Central Park has also seen a notable increase in migrant variety though as it is still early numbers are expectedly small. A most unexpected bird was probably the GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER seen at the north end Wednesday this one of 20 plus species of warblers locally that have featured BLUE-WINGED, TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BLACKBURNIAN, PRAIRIE, WORM-EATING, LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, HOODED and CANADA WARBLERS. Even early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were seen on the outer beach today. Also in Central this week were 2 BLACK VULTURES, BALD EAGLE, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH and BOBOLINK.
Some LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have featured up to 10 at Jones Beach West End field 2 and one Thursday at Fort Washington Park Boat Marina at the end of Dyckman Street in northern Manhattan.
Minimal reports from eastern Long Island this week do include lingering BLUE GROSBEAK at the former Grumman airport grasslands in Calverton and one or two WHIMBREL back at Cedar Beach County Park in Southold this a favored location in Fall.
To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 14, 2015
* NYNY1508.14
- Birds mentioned
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Little Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Piping Plover
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
MARBLED GODWIT
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Swainson's Thrush
Blue-winged Warbler
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
BLUE GROSBEAK
Bobolink
- Transcript
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 14th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are shorebirds including AMERICAN AVOCET, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and landbirds including YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER and BLUE GROSBEAK.
Hurray! The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge has now reached a point where it is attracting both decent numbers of birds and a few rarities.
A winter plumaged male AMERICAN AVOCET was found Wednesday around mid-pond and it was still present today along the western shore of the north end a little below Dead Man's Cove. Other unusual birds joining it today were a MARBLED GODWIT this morning that after awhile flew east and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE around midday in the northwest corner that was later seen just below the Raunt. A shorebird species total of 17 also featured 2 STILT, 6 PECTORAL and some WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Also today were 2 continuing GULL-BILLED TERNS and an immature BALD EAGLE plus an harassing PEREGRINE FALCON or two. Back on Wednesday a PIPING PLOVER was an interesting visitor to the pond and reports from last Saturday featured a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE seen with peeps circling but not sitting down at the south end early on and a WHIMBREL flying over the north end late in the day. Arriving ducks on the pond include BLUE-WINGED TEAL and GREEN-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN SHOVELER, a few immature LITTLE BLUE HERONS are among the gathered herons and a BLACK TERN visited Wednesday.
Remember, the East Pond is at its best during the high tide period and it's still quite sloppy for walking on.
Plumb Beach in Brooklyn has also been producing some nice birds. A second BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, this an unusually early juvenile, appeared there last Sunday. This was followed by an adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER seen in the marsh on Tuesday and then a MARBLED GODWIT visiting there this afternoon. A couple of ROYAL TERNS were also there mid-week.
Highlights at Fort Tilden Tuesday were 7 WHIMBREL flying by and 2 BLACK TERNS in the gull, tern and skimmer assemblage.
A notable increase among the landbirds species in the parks began last Saturday with a good one when a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was spotted in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the bird also noted on Sunday around the Peninsula. Like Prospect Manhattan's Central Park has also seen a notable increase in migrant variety though as it is still early numbers are expectedly small. A most unexpected bird was probably the GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER seen at the north end Wednesday this one of 20 plus species of warblers locally that have featured BLUE-WINGED, TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BLACKBURNIAN, PRAIRIE, WORM-EATING, LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, HOODED and CANADA WARBLERS. Even early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were seen on the outer beach today. Also in Central this week were 2 BLACK VULTURES, BALD EAGLE, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH and BOBOLINK.
Some LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have featured up to 10 at Jones Beach West End field 2 and one Thursday at Fort Washington Park Boat Marina at the end of Dyckman Street in northern Manhattan.
Minimal reports from eastern Long Island this week do include lingering BLUE GROSBEAK at the former Grumman airport grasslands in Calverton and one or two WHIMBREL back at Cedar Beach County Park in Southold this a favored location in Fall.
To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
Friday, August 14, 2015
Friday's Foto
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Treehugger Tuesday
Another Assault on the Marine Environment
The following story is about the potential collapse of a large component of the marine ecosystem due to greed, questionable marketing and shortsightedness. This comes to us from the organization SumOfUs via treehugger.com:
People Don’t Need Krill, Oceans Do
August 5, 2015
By Katherine Tu, SumOfUs
Three months ago a malnourished humpback whale was found washed up on the beaches of Washington state. This isn’t an isolated example — in fact twelve other whales were washed ashore in California this year and an unprecedented number of humpback whales, predominantly calves and juveniles, have been stranded on the west coast of Australia since 2008.
Scientists have consistently found that the reason behind most of these strange and increasingly frequent strandings is malnutrition. Why is this happening? To find the answer we literally have to go to the end of the Earth.
In the pristine and untouched reaches of the Antarctic ocean, a land of vast beauty, lives a tiny little, shrimp-like crustacean, krill. Although only a couple of inches long, this minuscule creature forms the basis of the entire marine ecosystem.
Crucially, krill are whales’ main source of food. A single humpback whale can eat up to 4.5 tonnes of krill each day. Humpback whales’ feeding season only lasts a couple of months. During this time they have to eat and store enough fat to be able to make a 3,100 mile long migration to their calving grounds.
Nobody knows how much krill is out there, but research indicates that populations have fallen by 80% since the mid-1970s due to climate change. In addition to this, there is a growing krill fishing industry. It’s easy to see how human influence is making whales much more vulnerable. To put it in the cautious words of a researcher: “[Humpback] whales feed almost exclusively on krill in the Antarctic and it's unknown what effect an expanding krill fishery in conjunction with climate warming might be having on the abundance of krill."
Meanwhile, some companies have cottoned on to the fact that there are big profits to be made from fishing krill from the depths of the Antarctic Ocean for aquaculture and to supply luxury omega-3 health supplements.
But why do humans need omega-3 krill pills? We don’t really. Even if you accept the less than scientific claims of the multi-billion dollar omega-3 industry about the pills’ health benefits, there are certainly more sustainable sources of omega-3 than krill, like a nutritious diet. The idea that we are gambling with the entire Antarctic ecosystem and the lives of incredible species like whales for the sake of “boosting our brain power,” as advertised in numerous health magazines is quite simply insane.
SumOfUs has started a campaign to get pharmacy giant CVS to remove krill oil supplements from their shelves. We started a petition asking CVS to stand by their sustainability claims and remove krill-based Omega-3 products from their stores. CVS is not the only company selling krill products, but it is one of the biggest and the one that it can make a difference by showing genuine leadership. As CVS has so far been refusing to remove these products, SumOfUs released this fun video aimed at raising the awareness of CVS costumers and other consumers:
The bottom line is that humans do not need krill, but oceans do. Whales do not have the luxury of choice of their omega-3 supplement or their diet, but we do. It is our joint responsibility to protect the vast Antarctic ecosystem and creatures that depend on it.
Join 95,000 other people and sign the petition calling for CVS to remove krill-based products at sumofus.org/cvs.
For any readers in the UK, there's also a petition calling for Sainsbury's to do the same.
The following story is about the potential collapse of a large component of the marine ecosystem due to greed, questionable marketing and shortsightedness. This comes to us from the organization SumOfUs via treehugger.com:
People Don’t Need Krill, Oceans Do
August 5, 2015
By Katherine Tu, SumOfUs
Three months ago a malnourished humpback whale was found washed up on the beaches of Washington state. This isn’t an isolated example — in fact twelve other whales were washed ashore in California this year and an unprecedented number of humpback whales, predominantly calves and juveniles, have been stranded on the west coast of Australia since 2008.
Scientists have consistently found that the reason behind most of these strange and increasingly frequent strandings is malnutrition. Why is this happening? To find the answer we literally have to go to the end of the Earth.
In the pristine and untouched reaches of the Antarctic ocean, a land of vast beauty, lives a tiny little, shrimp-like crustacean, krill. Although only a couple of inches long, this minuscule creature forms the basis of the entire marine ecosystem.
Crucially, krill are whales’ main source of food. A single humpback whale can eat up to 4.5 tonnes of krill each day. Humpback whales’ feeding season only lasts a couple of months. During this time they have to eat and store enough fat to be able to make a 3,100 mile long migration to their calving grounds.
Nobody knows how much krill is out there, but research indicates that populations have fallen by 80% since the mid-1970s due to climate change. In addition to this, there is a growing krill fishing industry. It’s easy to see how human influence is making whales much more vulnerable. To put it in the cautious words of a researcher: “[Humpback] whales feed almost exclusively on krill in the Antarctic and it's unknown what effect an expanding krill fishery in conjunction with climate warming might be having on the abundance of krill."
Meanwhile, some companies have cottoned on to the fact that there are big profits to be made from fishing krill from the depths of the Antarctic Ocean for aquaculture and to supply luxury omega-3 health supplements.
But why do humans need omega-3 krill pills? We don’t really. Even if you accept the less than scientific claims of the multi-billion dollar omega-3 industry about the pills’ health benefits, there are certainly more sustainable sources of omega-3 than krill, like a nutritious diet. The idea that we are gambling with the entire Antarctic ecosystem and the lives of incredible species like whales for the sake of “boosting our brain power,” as advertised in numerous health magazines is quite simply insane.
SumOfUs has started a campaign to get pharmacy giant CVS to remove krill oil supplements from their shelves. We started a petition asking CVS to stand by their sustainability claims and remove krill-based Omega-3 products from their stores. CVS is not the only company selling krill products, but it is one of the biggest and the one that it can make a difference by showing genuine leadership. As CVS has so far been refusing to remove these products, SumOfUs released this fun video aimed at raising the awareness of CVS costumers and other consumers:
The bottom line is that humans do not need krill, but oceans do. Whales do not have the luxury of choice of their omega-3 supplement or their diet, but we do. It is our joint responsibility to protect the vast Antarctic ecosystem and creatures that depend on it.
Join 95,000 other people and sign the petition calling for CVS to remove krill-based products at sumofus.org/cvs.
For any readers in the UK, there's also a petition calling for Sainsbury's to do the same.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips
Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, August 15, 2015 to Sunday, August 16, 2015:
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Jamaica Bay Refuge
Leader: Rafael Campos
Focus: Peak of shorebird migration
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Donna Evans, email devansny@earthlink.net
Registration Period: August 4th - August 13th
**********
Fresh Kills Park Alliance (Staten Island)
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 1:00pm
Naturalist-Led Hike
Join us for an August hike lead by a naturalist working alongside the FkP Development team! The name of the naturalist and the flora and fauna expected will be updated closer to the event date. This program includes moderate to steep elevations. Water, bug spray, and comfortable shoes recommended. Space is limited, ages 10+. Free.
Meet shuttle into the park at Schmul Park (Wild Ave and Melvin Ave)
Sign Up at EventBrite
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 12:00pm
Kayak the Creeks
Join the Freshkills Park Team and Kayak Staten Island for a kayaking experience like no other! Kayak along the Fresh Kill and see the site from a different perspective. This three hour excursion will take you into the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge and up close to some of the varied wildlife that calls Freshkills Park home.
Kayaks, life vests, and brief safety training will be provided. Kayak events are currently limited to participants ages 16 and over, in good health and with basic swimming skills. Be prepared to get wet! Space is very limited. Email freshkillspark@parks.nyc.gov if you own a kayak and wish to participate in this program with your personal kayak.
Sign up at EventBrite
**********
Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Jamaica Bay 22ND Annual Tom Davis Memorial Shorebird Walk
Leader: Sean Sime — seansime@seansime.com or 917-324-2735
Registration opens: August 3
Public transportation
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 9:30am – 2:00pm
Shorebird Walk in Jamaica Bay, Queens
Guide: Andrew Baksh
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We'll search the mudflats and ponds for breeding herons and egrets, Forster's and Common Terns, Clapper Rail, and American Oystercatcher, as well as migratory plovers and sandpipers that will already be headed south. Limited to 15. $40 (28)
Click here to register
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10am – 1pm
Shorebird Identification Workshop
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Shorebirds are one of the most challenging groups of birds to identify, yet beautiful and fascinating once they can be distinguished. Learn to identify plovers and sandpipers (including "peeps") by learning behavior, field marks, and calls - then take a field trip to Jamaica Bay to practice your new skills. Limited to 12. $65 (45)
Click here to register
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Hoffman and Swinburne Islands
Guide: Gabriel Willow with New York Water Taxi
Meet at South Street Seaport's Pier 16. We're excited about this summer's ecocruises; we’ve expanded our explorations of the City's island rookeries to three different locations! Depending on which weekend you choose, cruises may visit the fascinating Brother Islands, the large egret and cormorant colonies on Hoffman and Swinburne Islands, or the great expanses of Jamaica Bay. Whichever your destination, you'll experience the wonders of New York's famous harbor at sunset and see some of the three thousand herons, egrets, and ibis nesting on these urban island treasures. To learn about specific cruise dates and register, visit New York Water Taxi online or by phone at 212-742-1969. Limited to 140. Pricing varies by destination.
**********
Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 8:30am – 1:00pm
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Corey Finger 518-445-5829
Meet: 8:30am at visitors center
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
**********
Young Birders Club (New York State)
Sunday August 16, 2015
Montezuma NWR
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Rochester Birding Association
Montezuma NWR is one of New York State's top birding destinations. Shallow pools and cattail marshes are maintained for waterfowl. Pools are often drawn down for shorebirds in the fall. Upland and bottomland hardwood forests attract nesting birds and passerine migrants. Migrants of all types, especially shorebirds, ducks, eagles, osprey, and herons, will be seen. Our RBA guide is very familiar with the refuge and promises to show us her secret birding spots. We will have lunch at a wonderful local diner and after that, more birding for those that wish to continue. MNWR covers a vast area of varied habitat.
Visit www.rochesterbirding.com (go to Hotspots Montezuma- NWR for complete details on this birding mecca.
Note from Rochester Birding Association: No fee; donation to MNWR appreciated
Permission form due by 8/6/15. If you have not yet submitted a 2015 medical form (page 2 of the permission form) please submit it with your permission form.
Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.
**********
Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Jamaica Bay Refuge
Leader: Rafael Campos
Focus: Peak of shorebird migration
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Donna Evans, email devansny@earthlink.net
Registration Period: August 4th - August 13th
**********
Fresh Kills Park Alliance (Staten Island)
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 1:00pm
Naturalist-Led Hike
Join us for an August hike lead by a naturalist working alongside the FkP Development team! The name of the naturalist and the flora and fauna expected will be updated closer to the event date. This program includes moderate to steep elevations. Water, bug spray, and comfortable shoes recommended. Space is limited, ages 10+. Free.
Meet shuttle into the park at Schmul Park (Wild Ave and Melvin Ave)
Sign Up at EventBrite
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 12:00pm
Kayak the Creeks
Join the Freshkills Park Team and Kayak Staten Island for a kayaking experience like no other! Kayak along the Fresh Kill and see the site from a different perspective. This three hour excursion will take you into the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge and up close to some of the varied wildlife that calls Freshkills Park home.
Kayaks, life vests, and brief safety training will be provided. Kayak events are currently limited to participants ages 16 and over, in good health and with basic swimming skills. Be prepared to get wet! Space is very limited. Email freshkillspark@parks.nyc.gov if you own a kayak and wish to participate in this program with your personal kayak.
Sign up at EventBrite
**********
Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Jamaica Bay 22ND Annual Tom Davis Memorial Shorebird Walk
Leader: Sean Sime — seansime@seansime.com or 917-324-2735
Registration opens: August 3
Public transportation
**********
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Trips return on September 5, 2015
**********
New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 9:30am – 2:00pm
Shorebird Walk in Jamaica Bay, Queens
Guide: Andrew Baksh
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We'll search the mudflats and ponds for breeding herons and egrets, Forster's and Common Terns, Clapper Rail, and American Oystercatcher, as well as migratory plovers and sandpipers that will already be headed south. Limited to 15. $40 (28)
Click here to register
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 10am – 1pm
Shorebird Identification Workshop
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Shorebirds are one of the most challenging groups of birds to identify, yet beautiful and fascinating once they can be distinguished. Learn to identify plovers and sandpipers (including "peeps") by learning behavior, field marks, and calls - then take a field trip to Jamaica Bay to practice your new skills. Limited to 12. $65 (45)
Click here to register
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Hoffman and Swinburne Islands
Guide: Gabriel Willow with New York Water Taxi
Meet at South Street Seaport's Pier 16. We're excited about this summer's ecocruises; we’ve expanded our explorations of the City's island rookeries to three different locations! Depending on which weekend you choose, cruises may visit the fascinating Brother Islands, the large egret and cormorant colonies on Hoffman and Swinburne Islands, or the great expanses of Jamaica Bay. Whichever your destination, you'll experience the wonders of New York's famous harbor at sunset and see some of the three thousand herons, egrets, and ibis nesting on these urban island treasures. To learn about specific cruise dates and register, visit New York Water Taxi online or by phone at 212-742-1969. Limited to 140. Pricing varies by destination.
**********
Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, August 16, 2015, 8:30am – 1:00pm
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Corey Finger 518-445-5829
Meet: 8:30am at visitors center
**********
Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!
**********
Young Birders Club (New York State)
Sunday August 16, 2015
Montezuma NWR
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Rochester Birding Association
Montezuma NWR is one of New York State's top birding destinations. Shallow pools and cattail marshes are maintained for waterfowl. Pools are often drawn down for shorebirds in the fall. Upland and bottomland hardwood forests attract nesting birds and passerine migrants. Migrants of all types, especially shorebirds, ducks, eagles, osprey, and herons, will be seen. Our RBA guide is very familiar with the refuge and promises to show us her secret birding spots. We will have lunch at a wonderful local diner and after that, more birding for those that wish to continue. MNWR covers a vast area of varied habitat.
Visit www.rochesterbirding.com (go to Hotspots Montezuma- NWR for complete details on this birding mecca.
Note from Rochester Birding Association: No fee; donation to MNWR appreciated
Permission form due by 8/6/15. If you have not yet submitted a 2015 medical form (page 2 of the permission form) please submit it with your permission form.
Friday, August 07, 2015
Friday's Foto
New York City Rare Bird Alert
Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 7, 2015:
-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 7, 2015
* NYNY1508.07
- Birds Mentioned
Tricolored Heron
Willet
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
PECTORAL SANDPIPER
STILT SANDPIPER
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Purple Martin
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Canada Warbler
Bobolink
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44nybirdsorg
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are shorebirds including BAIRD’S, STILT and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, WHIMBREL and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, CASPIAN and GULL-BILLED TERNS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
Perhaps the week’s most unusual shorebird locally, especially by age, was the adult BAIRD’S SANDPIPER found Monday at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, where it was still being seen Thursday either along the beach wrack east of the jetty or occasionally in the marsh. It has not yet been reported today.
The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is slowly rounding into proper condition to accommodate migrating shorebirds, though conditions for birders remain tricky, especially at the north end, due to a slippery algae mat on the flats and the continuing high water - so be careful out there. Among the below normal number of species and total birds this past week were one or two STILT SANDPIPERS from Tuesday morning and six WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS appearing Thursday. Non-shorebirds there have featured one or two TRICOLORED HERONS, a CASPIAN TERN at the Raunt Saturday and seen again Tuesday, and a GULL-BILLED TERN last Sunday.
Up to 5 STILT SANDPIPERS were seen last weekend in the marsh by the marina at Timber Point Golf Course in Great River, just northeast of Heckscher State Park. Four still there on Tuesday were joined by a calling adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER.
A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was among some shorebirds at Breezy Point Tuesday, and 4 BLACK TERNS were among the many terns gathered there.
Further east at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes the most notable shorebird was a lingering WHIMBREL, joined by a few “Western” WILLETS, a decent count of 53 RED KNOTS Monday, other seasonal shorebirds and up to 11 ROYAL TERNS.
A little west of Smith Point County Park on the flats at Bellport Bay Inlet Wednesday the congregation of shorebirds featured 4 WHIMBRELS and single PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS plus 23 ROYAL TERNS.
A small gathering of LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in the Jones Beach West End 2 parking lot recently included 3 Monday and apparently a few more than that earlier. Last year at this time counts of Lessers there reached over
30.
Recently some land birds have also been moving into our City parks, including about a dozen species of Warblers, mostly species nesting just north of the City—the most distant of these would appear to be a TENNESSEE reported from the north end of Central Park Thursday; others have included OVENBIRD, both LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, AMERICAN REDSTART, WORM-EATING, BLUE-WINGED, BLACK-AND-WHITE, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, PRAIRIE and CANADA WARBLERS. Other species appearing recently have included EASTERN KINGBIRD, LEAST FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO, BALTIMORE and ORCHARD ORIOLES and BOBOLINK as well as the continuing five species of Swallows and PURPLE MARTIN.
To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 7, 2015
* NYNY1508.07
- Birds Mentioned
Tricolored Heron
Willet
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
PECTORAL SANDPIPER
STILT SANDPIPER
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Purple Martin
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Canada Warbler
Bobolink
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44nybirdsorg
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are shorebirds including BAIRD’S, STILT and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, WHIMBREL and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, CASPIAN and GULL-BILLED TERNS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
Perhaps the week’s most unusual shorebird locally, especially by age, was the adult BAIRD’S SANDPIPER found Monday at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, where it was still being seen Thursday either along the beach wrack east of the jetty or occasionally in the marsh. It has not yet been reported today.
The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is slowly rounding into proper condition to accommodate migrating shorebirds, though conditions for birders remain tricky, especially at the north end, due to a slippery algae mat on the flats and the continuing high water - so be careful out there. Among the below normal number of species and total birds this past week were one or two STILT SANDPIPERS from Tuesday morning and six WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS appearing Thursday. Non-shorebirds there have featured one or two TRICOLORED HERONS, a CASPIAN TERN at the Raunt Saturday and seen again Tuesday, and a GULL-BILLED TERN last Sunday.
Up to 5 STILT SANDPIPERS were seen last weekend in the marsh by the marina at Timber Point Golf Course in Great River, just northeast of Heckscher State Park. Four still there on Tuesday were joined by a calling adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER.
A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was among some shorebirds at Breezy Point Tuesday, and 4 BLACK TERNS were among the many terns gathered there.
Further east at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes the most notable shorebird was a lingering WHIMBREL, joined by a few “Western” WILLETS, a decent count of 53 RED KNOTS Monday, other seasonal shorebirds and up to 11 ROYAL TERNS.
A little west of Smith Point County Park on the flats at Bellport Bay Inlet Wednesday the congregation of shorebirds featured 4 WHIMBRELS and single PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS plus 23 ROYAL TERNS.
A small gathering of LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in the Jones Beach West End 2 parking lot recently included 3 Monday and apparently a few more than that earlier. Last year at this time counts of Lessers there reached over
30.
Recently some land birds have also been moving into our City parks, including about a dozen species of Warblers, mostly species nesting just north of the City—the most distant of these would appear to be a TENNESSEE reported from the north end of Central Park Thursday; others have included OVENBIRD, both LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, AMERICAN REDSTART, WORM-EATING, BLUE-WINGED, BLACK-AND-WHITE, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, PRAIRIE and CANADA WARBLERS. Other species appearing recently have included EASTERN KINGBIRD, LEAST FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO, BALTIMORE and ORCHARD ORIOLES and BOBOLINK as well as the continuing five species of Swallows and PURPLE MARTIN.
To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Treehugger Tuesday
World Lion Day - August 10th
The killing of beloved Lion "Cecil" has created a lot of outrage across the globe. Perhaps people can channel some of that anger into supporting one (or more) of the following conservation organizations:
National Geographic: Big Cats Initiative
National Geographic – with filmmakers, conservationists, and Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert – launched the Big Cats Initiative, a comprehensive program that supports hands-on conservation and education projects combined with the Cause an Uproar global public-awareness campaign in support of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top felines. Get involved: National Geographic: Big Cats Initiative
Panthera: Project Leonardo
This group has collected some of the world’s leading wild cat experts to direct and implement effective conservation strategies for lions, cheetahs, leopards, tigers, jaguars and snow leopards. Their approach to wild cat conservation is science-backed and based on years of in-the-field experience. The group is a leader in programs to care for critical habitats and core populations connected by genetic and biological corridors, relieving the threats of habitat loss and conversion, human-lion conflict, bushmeat poaching and excessive trophy hunting. Get involved: Panthera: Project Leonardo
International Fund for Animal Welfare
This long-established group works to help threatened animals in more than 40 countries around the world. Along with animal rescue and cruelty prevention, they advocate for the protection of wildlife and habitats. The group is also working towards helping to ensure that the U.S. government lists the African lion as "endangered" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Get involved: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Lion Guardians
Lion Guardians is great. The groups has taken an innovative approach in which they work to preserve the cultural traditions of pastoralist communities and work with young Maasai and other pastoralist warriors to learn the skills needed to effectively mitigate conflicts between people and wildlife, monitor lion populations, and help their own communities live with lions. Lion Guardians monitor lion movements, warn pastoralists when lions are in the area, recover lost livestock, reinforce protective fencing and intervene to stop lion hunting parties, resulting in reduced livestock and losses and therefore the need to retaliate. More than 40 warriors are employed as Lion Guardians covering over thousands of square miles of key wildlife habitat in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem as well as the Ruaha landscape of Tanzania. Lion killing in the Lion Guardians’ areas has been nearly eliminated and the Amboseli lion population is now growing. So good. Get involved: Lion Guardians
Ruaha Carnivore Project
Part of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the Ruaha Carnivore Project is working to create conservation strategies for large carnivores in Tanzania’s remote Ruaha landscape. The area supports around 10 percent of Africa’s lions making it an extremely important conservation area, yet the area has received little attention. Currently the project is gathering data on population statistics and ecology as well as educating local communities to reduce human-lion conflict. Get involved: Ruaha Carnivore Project
African Parks
This non-profit assumes responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks has implemented, supported and funded vital lion conservation management programs and is helping to ensure the long time survival of lion populations. Get involved: African Parks
LionAid
This UK-based non-profit brings about conservation awareness and is in the process of urging the U.K. government and EU to ban the importation of lion trophies in order to help stop game hunting in Africa. They have approached the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in an effort to list lion populations in west and central Africa as “regionally endangered” and are also striving to get the lion listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Species for further awareness and protection. Get involved: LionAid
You can find more information at the World Lion Day website.
The killing of beloved Lion "Cecil" has created a lot of outrage across the globe. Perhaps people can channel some of that anger into supporting one (or more) of the following conservation organizations:
National Geographic: Big Cats Initiative
National Geographic – with filmmakers, conservationists, and Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert – launched the Big Cats Initiative, a comprehensive program that supports hands-on conservation and education projects combined with the Cause an Uproar global public-awareness campaign in support of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top felines. Get involved: National Geographic: Big Cats Initiative
Panthera: Project Leonardo
This group has collected some of the world’s leading wild cat experts to direct and implement effective conservation strategies for lions, cheetahs, leopards, tigers, jaguars and snow leopards. Their approach to wild cat conservation is science-backed and based on years of in-the-field experience. The group is a leader in programs to care for critical habitats and core populations connected by genetic and biological corridors, relieving the threats of habitat loss and conversion, human-lion conflict, bushmeat poaching and excessive trophy hunting. Get involved: Panthera: Project Leonardo
International Fund for Animal Welfare
This long-established group works to help threatened animals in more than 40 countries around the world. Along with animal rescue and cruelty prevention, they advocate for the protection of wildlife and habitats. The group is also working towards helping to ensure that the U.S. government lists the African lion as "endangered" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Get involved: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Lion Guardians
Lion Guardians is great. The groups has taken an innovative approach in which they work to preserve the cultural traditions of pastoralist communities and work with young Maasai and other pastoralist warriors to learn the skills needed to effectively mitigate conflicts between people and wildlife, monitor lion populations, and help their own communities live with lions. Lion Guardians monitor lion movements, warn pastoralists when lions are in the area, recover lost livestock, reinforce protective fencing and intervene to stop lion hunting parties, resulting in reduced livestock and losses and therefore the need to retaliate. More than 40 warriors are employed as Lion Guardians covering over thousands of square miles of key wildlife habitat in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem as well as the Ruaha landscape of Tanzania. Lion killing in the Lion Guardians’ areas has been nearly eliminated and the Amboseli lion population is now growing. So good. Get involved: Lion Guardians
Ruaha Carnivore Project
Part of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the Ruaha Carnivore Project is working to create conservation strategies for large carnivores in Tanzania’s remote Ruaha landscape. The area supports around 10 percent of Africa’s lions making it an extremely important conservation area, yet the area has received little attention. Currently the project is gathering data on population statistics and ecology as well as educating local communities to reduce human-lion conflict. Get involved: Ruaha Carnivore Project
African Parks
This non-profit assumes responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks has implemented, supported and funded vital lion conservation management programs and is helping to ensure the long time survival of lion populations. Get involved: African Parks
LionAid
This UK-based non-profit brings about conservation awareness and is in the process of urging the U.K. government and EU to ban the importation of lion trophies in order to help stop game hunting in Africa. They have approached the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in an effort to list lion populations in west and central Africa as “regionally endangered” and are also striving to get the lion listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Species for further awareness and protection. Get involved: LionAid
You can find more information at the World Lion Day website.